SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. - Verizon customers in Sun Prairie will receive improved, more reliable service as a result of a $1.4 million investment to upgrade and expand the capacity of equipment in the company's switching center on North Bristol Street.

The building houses digital switches and state-of-the-art computers that route calls to their destinations and provide popular products ranging from Caller ID to Voice Mail.

The project, due to be completed soon, will provide more capacity for processing voice and data communications, and will help meet the rising demand for local and long-distance calling and Internet access. Surfing the Internet has changed the way customers use their telephones, increasing the average length of a call, which in turn requires more switching capacity.

We recognize the growing importance of an advanced telecommunications network for Wisconsin businesses, schools, libraries and consumers," said Bob Burger, Verizon area manager in Sun Prairie. "We continue to upgrade our infrastructure in order to provide all our customers with better quality service, as well as the platform for high-speed access to the Internet, work-at-home capabilities and other advanced services. This project demonstrates our commitment to maintaining state-of-the-art telecommunications services in Wisconsin."

Last year, Verizon invested more than $64 million in its telecommunications network serving Wisconsin, including further deployment of fiber-optic cable. The company has over 41,000 miles of fiber-optic cable in its Wisconsin network overall - enough to circle the earth nearly twice. Fiber-optic systems use laser-generated light pulses and digital technology to provide greater capacity, higher transmission speeds and better quality for voice, video and data transmitted over the network.

Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 133.8 million access line equivalents and approximately 29.6 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With more than $67 billion in annual revenues and nearly 248,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.